Review: Sherlock Holmes

I'm a Guy Ritchie fan. I love both Lock Stock and Snatch, but none of his movies since have been on the same level. RocknRolla came close, but it follows the same formula as the two aforementioned films and isn't as good. He has a created a style to his films that we come to expect everytime, so I was interested in how he was going to handle a big budget film like Sherlock Holmes.

I have never read a Sherlock Holmes book, so I'm not familiar with the material. Therefore, I had no expectations for the character going into the film. That said, I enjoyed Robert Downey Jr's. interpretation but never quite felt like he was delivering an iconic performance. He brings the charisma and wit he delivers with all his characters, but he doesn't do anything new to make this performance memorable.

On the other hand, Jude Law's Watson is a great compliment Holmes. The two have great chemistry together which provides the best moments of the movie. They have a screen relationship that is very reminiscent of House (who is probably based on Holmes) and Wilson on the show House. I agree with Jack Burton's review that Jude Law is having the most fun of anyone in the movie.

If there is a downside to the bromance going on, its that it detracts from the mystery of the movie. The mystery never really sucks you in because there is never enough focus on the overall story. The villain, Blackwood, doesn't inspire enough fear to make the plot of the story believable. So we are left with a classic case of style over substance.

From what I've read, the studio wanted to breath life into Sherlock Holmes which would make Guy Ritchie a natural choice for this British property. Ritchie is a bit more subdued here, which is a good thing, and created a London that is full of texture that looks great on screen. He kept the movie entertaining, but had it been shorter and more focused, it would have made for a more engaging movie.

Oh, and Rachel McAdams is hot.

Lobo says: 2.75 out of 4 moons